Dispenser container



Aug. 3, 1965 1-. M. MCDONALD 3,193,401

DISPENSER CONTAINER Filed Nov. 14, 1963 Ill-III INVENTOR Taylor M M-"Dorzaki TI'ORNEYS United States Patent Wee 3,198,401 DISfENSER CONTAINER Taylor M. McDonald, Monticello, Fia., assignor of fifty percent to Irvin B. Wheeler, Cairo, Ga. Filed Nov. 14, 1963, Ser. No. 323,675 4 Claims. (Cl. 222-1%.4)

This invention relates to a dispenser container. In particular, it relates to a hollow container for particulate material and means for dispensing and scattering said material therefrom.

It is the current practice to package a wide variety of particulate materials in relatively rigid containers from which they are dispersed in a variety of ways. As examples of such materials, one would include table salt, sugar, various other condiments, powdered insecticides, fertilizers, household scouring powders, talcum powder and numerous other like materials. In almost all cases the materials are dispensed from the container by providing apertures in the top or cover thereof from which the materials issue when the container is inverted and agitated. Wide area coverage in these instances is achieved by moving the container from place to place. More recent innovations in dispensing containers include the well known aerosol bomb type. In these devices it is necessary to include in the container a pressurized propellant. This in turn necessitates a rigid, strong essentially air tight container. Furthermore, serious practical difiiculties are encountered because of the flammable or explosive and sometimes toxic nature of the propellant.

It is an object of this invention to provide a new and relatively simple dispenser container.

Another object is to provide a dispenser container for particulate materials which gives relatively wider area coverage than known dispensers without requiring use of a pressurized propellant.

Still another object is to provide a dispenser container for particulate materials which remains normally closed until activated, thereby avoiding inadvertent and/or unnecessary waste without requiring undue precaution on the part of the user.

Still further objects and the many advantages of the invention will be best understood by referring to the following more detailed description. The description will be made with reference to the accompanying drawing illustrating the presently preferred embodiment of the invention and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a section in elevation of the preferred embodiment, and

FIGURE 2 is a bottom plan view.

Stated in its simplest terms, the present invention comprises a hollow container having a dispensing aperture through a wall thereof and communicating with the interior of the container, a pendulum mounted for pivotal movement over the outside of said wall on an axis spaced from and generally parallel to the axis of the aperture, and resilient means cooperating with the pendulum to normally hold said pendulum over the dispensing aperture. Movement of one end of the pendulum back and forth across the aperture alternately opens and closes the aperture and scatters particulate materials emitted therethrough.

In the presently preferred embodiment the apertured wall is a closure having a recessed portion which, in plan view, has a pair of opposed shoulders to limit the arc in which the pendulum swings, and the resilient means are secured to the pendulum and extend to and cooperate with the shoulders. In addition, in the preferred embodiment one end of the pendulum is weighted to assist in swinging the pendulum to and fro across the aperture when the container is agitated, and second resilient means are provided on each side of the other end of the pendulum and 3,198,401 Patented Aug. 3, 1965 spaced from the pendulum when in normally closed position, said second resilient means acting to urge the pendulum to return to closed position when the pendulum contacts the same in its swinging action.

Referring to the drawings, 1h indicates generally a hollow container for particulate material 11, e.g., table salt. In the illustrated embodiment the top of the container is shown as a solid removable cap 12 while 13 indicates an integral bottom closure which may be removable if desired. If desired, or necessary for any reason, both closures may be constructed in the same manner as bottom closure 13.

An aperture 14 is cut through the bottom closure to provide communication between the interior and the exterior of the container for dispensing particulate material therefrom. A pendulum 15 is normally held positioned over the aperture. The pendulum is held to the bottom closure by pivot pin 16. One end of the pendulum is preferably provided with a counter weight 17. By suitable eccentric location of the pivot pin closer to the dispensing aperture 14 than to the Weighted end of the pendulum,

the pendulum will swing to and fro across the dispensing aperture when the container is swung back and forth as if it were a bell. The closure also has a recessed portion 18 in which the pendulum swings. The depth of this recess should be sufficient to accommodate the length of pivot pin 16 while still permitting the container to stand upright on the bottom end 19 of the side walls. I

As best seen in FIGURE 2 the recessed portion has a pair of opposed shoulders 20, 21 protruding toward the center of the relieved portion. A generally V shaped flexible leaf spring 22 is mounted in the pendulum between the pivot pin and the counterweight. The spring has a short flat portion 35 at its apex so that it will not readily slip out of the pendulum. The arms of the spring extend sufficiently to cooperate with the side walls of the protruding shoulders and normally hold the pendulum in place over the aperture 14. The length of the arms is at the same time short enough so that the ends will not abut with the rim of the recessed portion and thus interfere with the swing of the pendulum.

Preferably second resilient means are mounted in the recessed portion of the closure, one on each side of the pendulum and at the end of the pendulum opposite the counterweight end. In the embodiment illustrated these second resilient means comprise a pair of flexible fingers 23, 24 extending from the outer rim of the closure toward the center of the recessed portion. Each is slightly spaced from the pendulum when the pendulum is in its normal rest position over the aperture 14. Each finger is in addition tapered slightly from a point at its outer free extremity. The tapered portion faces in the direction of the pendulum.

The pendulum slides on small slightly raised protuberances 25 and 26 in the recessed portion of the closure. The plane surfaces of these protuberances are in a common plane generally perpendicular to the vertical axis of the container. While the use of such protuberances is not absolutely necessary, the embodiment described reduces the over-all area of frictional contact between the pendulum and the inner face of the recessed portion, thus increasing the freedom of movement of the pendulum when the container is agitated.

When protuberances are used, as illustrated, a spacer 35 (e.g., a washer) is provided to retain the pivot pin in substantially parallel alignment with the vertical axis of the container. Furthermore, it is necessary in this case to place the aperture 14 through one of the protuberances so that the aperture will be closed when the pendulum is at rest. It is, of course, possible, but less desirable, to eliminate the protuberances altogether and to swing the pendulum on the face of the recessed portion of the closure.

The mode of operation of the illustrated device will be largely evident to those skilled in the art in view of the above description. When the container is not in use the pendulum will be held in a normally closed position over aperture 14 by the leaf spring 22 as shown in the solid lines in FIGURE 2. When the container is swung to and fro generally on its vertical axis, the pendulum will be caused to swing to and fro over the aperture 14 as indicated by the directional arrows 27, 28 in FZGURE 2. The combined action of the spring 22 and the fingers 23-, 24 assist this swinging action so long as the container is being swung. The are in which the pendulum swings is limited by contact of the weighted end of the pendulum with the side walls of the shoulders as shown in dotted lines in FIGURE 2. When the container is no longer actuated, the combined action of the leaf spring 22 and of the fingers 23, 24 quickly dampens the oscillatory motion of the pendulum which is then again held in closed position over the aperture 14 by the leaf spring 22. It will be particularly noted that the oscillatory motion of the pendulum over the container opening 14 not only permits particulate material to be dispensed from the container, but also serves to scatter the material over a wide area because of the impact of the pendulum against the material emitted from the opening.

The preceding description has, by necessity, been quite detailed. Many obvious variations will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. The scope of the invention, therefore, should be limited only by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A dispenser for particulate material comprising a 'hollow container having a dispensing aperture through a wall thereof, a pendulum pivotally mounted on the outside of said wall on an axis spaced from and generally parallel to the axis of said aperture, for movement of one end of the pendulum back and forth across said aperture to alternately open and close said aperture and scatter material emitted therefrom, a pair of opposed inwardly facing shoulders located on the outside of said wall on opposite sides of said pendulum to limit the arc in which the pendulum swings, and resilient means cooperating with and normally holding said pendulum over said aperture.

2. A dispenser for particulate material comprising a hollow container having a dispensing aperture through a wall thereof, a pendulum pivotally mounted on the outside of said wall on an axis spaced from and generally parallel to the axis of said aperture, for movement of one end of the pendulum back and forth across said aperture to alternately open and close said aperture and scatter material emitted therefrom, a pair of opposed inwardly facing shoulders located on the outside of said Wall on opposite sides of said pendulum to limit the arc in which the pendulum swings, and resilient means cooperating with and normally holding said pendulum over said aperture, said resilient means being secured to said pendulum and cooperating ith said shoulders.

3. A dispenser for particulate material comprising a hollow container, a closure at one end of said container, said closure having a recessed portion therein and a dispensing aperture through the recessed portion, a pendulumpivotally mounted in said recessed portion on an axis spaced from and generally parallel to the axis of said aperture for movement of one end of the pendulum back and forth across the outside of said aperture to alternately open and close said aperture and scatter material emitted therefrom, said recessed portion having a pair of opposed shoulders protruding toward the center thereof to limit the arc in which the pendulum swings, and resilient means normally holding said pendulum over said aperture.

4. A dispenser for particulate material comprising a: hollow container, a closure at one end of said container, said closure having a recessed portion therein and a dispensing aperture through the recessed portion, a pendulum pivotally mounted in said recessed portion on an axisspaced from and generally parallel to the axis of said aperture for movement of one end of the pendulum back and forth across the outside of said aperture to alternately open and close said aperture and scatter material emitted therefrom, said recessed portion having a pair of opposed shoulders protruding toward the center thereof to limit the arc in which the pendulum swings, and resilient means normally holding said pendulum over said aperture, said resilient means being secured to said pendulum and extending toward and cooperating with said shoulders.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,133,134 3/15 Gruettner 222-517 2,031,755 2/36 Baranowski 222O X LOUIS I. DEMBO, Primary Examiner. CHARLES R. CARTER, Examiner. 

1. A DISPENSER FOR PARTICULATE MATERIAL COMPRISING A HOLLOW CONTAINER HAVING A DISPENSING APERTURE THROUGH A WALL THEREOF, A PENDULUM PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON THE OUTSIDE OF SAID WALL ON AN AXIS SPACED FROM THE GENERALLY PARALLEL TO THE AXIS OF SAID APERTURE, FOR MOVEMENT OF ONE END OF THE PENDULUM BACK AND FORTH ACROSS SAID APERTURE TO ALTERNATELY OPEN AND CLOSE SAID APERTURE AND SCATTER MATERIAL EMITTED THEREFROM, A PAIR OF OPPSOED INWARDLY FACING SHOULDERS LOCATED ON THE OUTSIDE OF SAID WALL ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID PENDULUM TO LIMIT THE ARC IN WHICH THE PENDULUM SWINGS, AND RESILIENT MEANS COOPERATING WITH AND NORMALLY HOLDING SAID PENDULUM OVER SAID APERTURE. 